Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Someone Watching Over Me

I'm feeling a little better every day. Excuse me for being self-indulgent, but it IS a blog after all and I know many of you are curious as to how I'm getting along. It is SO good to be home and in familiar surroundings with my loved ones close at hand. Because I am not supposed to walk up and down stairs for awhile, I'm spending most of my time resting on the sofa and make only one trip upstairs at night to sleep. So I've conveniently made up the couch as Command Central.

Here you can see I've got my breakfast of fortified Special K cereal, my magazines, a couple of decorating books to browse through (my house is a real mess as you can imagine, not having done anything for weeks, but it can't hurt to dream, can it?). The quilted throw on my lap is a store-bought quilt (oh no!) borrowed from my son's room at home. He left for his senior year of college the day I went back into the hospital. Don't want to spill or bleed on one of MY quilts, you see. Plus it reminds me of him while he's away. And it has some nice Fall colors to warm me up.

Angels watch over me as I rest. Or maybe she's just waiting for a crumb to drop, who knows? I like to think it's the angel thing. While I was in the hospital I missed my puppies so much that one day I sat up in a little bit of that half-sleeping, half-waking stage and reached out toward the foot of my bed where I thought I saw her. Nurse came in and rolled her eyes - Whaaaat puppy, where??

By Monday I got bored with magazines and found I couldn't concentrate on a novel yet. I had already gotten caught up with TV shows over the weekend. I knew I'd have a difficult time sitting at a sewing machine.

So I found a stack of little pink and indigo four-patch blocks I made a few years ago and decided to use them to make a doll quilt, just for me, no pressure to turn it into a pattern or anything. I'm piecing them together by hand nice and slowly with some wonderful 2 1/2" pink and blue pre-cut squares. Did I tell you I love pre-cuts? They really came in handy this time.

I've already finished 9 blocks as of this afternoon. These will be really cute set on point with the blue and tan bird fabric I've been saving for awhile as background. I like to use one of these Ziplock containers with compartments to hold my "stuff" and keep it nearby, next to my lap desk on the sofa, while I sew.

While I was in the hospital I had a birthday and didn't actually celebrate until the weekend I got home. One of my presents from my husband and daughter was the DVD of Sleeping Beauty, my absolute favorite childhood Disney movie made in 1959. It was also Disney's most ambitious film project at the time, costing $6 million, and the very last fairy tale to be produced by Walt Disney himself. The animation from the fifties is wonderful and it has a gorgeous musical score adapted from Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty ballet. Didn't know it then, but I appreciate it now.

As a child, it was my first real exposure to Disney advertising mania. I had the Sleeping Beauty book, coloring books, lunch box, game, tiara, light-up magic wand, pencil case, etc. You name it, I had it. My older sisters had jobs and always spoiled me with toys I wanted. I remember one day with a little help from my mom I dressed up in one of my sister's old Prom dresses and met her at the bus stop after work with my tiara and magic wand. I'm sure she was thrilled to see me!

As spoiled as I was, I did feel deprived for years though, LOL, because I never got to go to Disneyland to see Sleeping Beauty's ACTUAL castle and meet her in person. We had a lot in common, I thought; I liked to sleep a lot too. I made a pilgrimage there as an adult, years later, to finally pay homage to my childhood heroine. Not a very acceptable heroine by today's standards, I know, but hey, it was the fifties and that was then. I later found out that feminists dismiss Beauty as the epitome of passivity in women; all she does is sleep and wait. Doesn't bother me a bit. You have to admire her perseverance. And you have to admit, true love sure does have the power to transform you sometimes, whenever it comes.

In addition to Beauty, my favorite characters in the movie were her Fairy Godmothers - Flora, Fauna and Meriwether. They were much older than Princess Aurora and always took good care of her and made sure all her needs were met. Can you see where this is going?

Last week while my husband worked, my sisters were my Fairy Godmothers during the day, watching over me as I slept in the hospital, tied to machines, always there with a tissue or shoulder or ready to flag a nurse if I needed it.

And now I have my puppy angels watching over me at home. Yessir, I've got just about everything I need right here.

So glad you are feeling better. This was a very sweet post. I have been down with a compression fracture, and even though I don't have a fairy godmother, my sweet daughter and hubby have been taking care of me :-) I hope you have a speedy recovery.

Lovely to hear from you again. Glad to see you are progressing slowly back to health and even doing a little stitching. Those puppies look to be a great comfort!!! I wish you continued steady progress....Merilyn

When I was a young girl growing up in Chicago I would love to go to the Museum of Science and Industry to see Colleen Moore's Dollhouse/Fairy Castle. Have you ever seen it? Wish you well in your recovery but with the puppies and a great family it is sure to happen.

You're on the road to recovery, with your puppies keeping an eye on you and your hands already working on a new little quilt. Your post was such enjoyable reading today. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and memories.

Pre-cut squares - I bought mine from Primitive Gatherings at the Quilt Show in Chicago last Spring. Terrific and so quick for small quilts.http://www.primitivegatherings.us/shop/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=94

Tara at Sew Unique Creations also sells excellent small bundles and charm packs that I like to use: http://www.sewuniquecreations.com/category.php?category_id=74

I loved visiting Colleen Moore's Doll House/Fairy castle at the Museum in Chicago as a child! I took my kids there often when they were young too. I haven't been there for a few years and wonder if it's still there? Might be worth a trip someday.

This reminds me very much of myself last September! I had a big stomach surgery, and wasn't able to do anything unless some easy hand sewing and listening to audio books. I wish you best of luck and a good recovery!

You must be feeling better to pick up a needle and thread - it is truly good for the soul and excellent for the recovery process! How do I know this? Because I had knee surgery a couple of months ago and my needle and thread were close at hand during the recovery process. Take care and rest up lots! xx

Happy to see that at you picked up your fabric and needle! Love the colors that you are working with. This should just do the trick working on a little quilt---when finished this will put a smile on your face.

Look at all your friends that leave you their sweet comments and loving concerns for you to recover soon.

I'm so glad you're feeling well enough to sew. Those little patches are so sweet! I love your Sleeping Beauty story. My favorite childhood Disney movie was "Thomasina", starring Hailey Mills. It was about a little girl, a cat, and a witch. I tracked down the tape on the internet. I also found the original novel that is was based on at a library book sale...don't ask me if I've read it yet! Louise

What a wonderful little project to be working on. Love that sweet little bird fabric. I am a pushover for any fabric with birds. I am so glad you are being well taken care of by those that love you. I think that will help with a speedy recovery. We love our Disney movies as well. Louise M.

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I'm a quilt designer and author of six quilting books for Martingale. I love making small quilts with an antique look and find inspiration in quilts from the past and the women who made them.
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